There Are Barely Any Almonds in Your Almond Milk

By Jordyn Cormier for Care2

Image via: serlewellness.com

Almond milk is hugely popular among lovers of non-dairy milks. It is slightly sweet, slightly nutty, a little creamy, yet very light and refreshing. But, is what you’re buying really ‘almond’ milk, or are you being scammed?

If you buy Blue Diamond’s Almond Breeze, you may want to read on.

A recent false advertising lawsuit against Almond Breeze has revealed that their almond milk product actually contains only about 2 percent almonds. The U.S doesn’t require disclosure of this information, but it is revealed on the UK ingredients list.

What’s the rest? Water, thickening agents, flavor enhancers and natural preservatives. For a company that pushes the slogan ‘made from real almonds’ and has strong imagery of almonds plastered on its packaging, it is clear that the consumer is being mislead as to how much almond they are actually getting for their money—and, heck, almond milk isn’t cheap. This comes at a time when sales of almond milk are on a steady rise—sales rose around 38 percent between 2013 and 2014. This also comes at a time when almonds are being heavily blamed (justly or unjustly, depending on your outlook) for over-utilizing California’s precious water resources, which could potentially persuade drinkers to seek other, more sustainable milk alternatives.

While it is universally understood that you need a large proportion of water to create almond milk, an almond content of 2 percent is surprisingly low. If you are making your almond milk at home, you probably use anywhere from 25 percent to 33 percent almonds. Making your own almond milk is oftentimes cheaper than store-bought—and is clearly of a much higher, more almond-centric quality. If you’re not convinced that ditching almonds will save California, making almond milk at home is clearly the way to go.

How do you feel about almond milk? Does its environmental impact—while far less severe than the livestock industry—warrant seeking out other milk alternatives? Is it acceptable to use the term ‘almond milk’ if a product has only 2 percent almonds? Share your thoughts below.